Hope is the only thing stronger than fear

Propaganda

The president sends everyone off to get to work, so Gale wheels me back to the hospital with Peeta by my side. We laugh a little about the cover-up. Gale says no one wanted to look bad by admitting they couldn't control us. Peeta is kinder, saying they probably didn't want to jeopardize the chance of taking us out again now that they've gotten some decent footage. Both things are probably true. Gale has to go meet Beetee down in Special Weaponry, so it's just Peeta and I.

"So, what do you want to do?" ask Peeta.

I shrug my shoulders.

"Okay. Lets do that." Peeta then shrugs his shoulders.

We both let out a laugh.

"But really. What do you want to do?" he ask still smiling

"I don't know. There really isn't anything to do here." I answer. Except be miserable. I think.

Peeta seems to have read my thoughts.

"Well, maybe we can go outside to the woods. Remember, Coin said you can hunt. It's better than sitting here and thinking about everything."

I hate it how well he can do that.  Know what I am thinking and feeling.  I don't like people knowing how I feel.  But Peeta knows me to well to NOT follow my thoughts.  I guess it is the same with Gale.  How we are a team when we hunt. How we know what the other will do next. But it is different with Peeta. Gale knows how I work when I hunt animals. Peeta knows how I am when I am forced to kill people and hunting animals. I think Peeta knows me better than anyone.  Even Gale.

I nod my head excitedly. I hate it down here. I hate being underground.

When we make it to the guard, they give us tracking devices and Peeta a communicuff. I guess they figured Peeta would keep it on unlike me. They're probably right. I'm surprised they let us go, since we aren't scheduled for training and we are still technically a hospital patient. But they did. I have my bow with me, just for protection.

Peeta and I ditch the tracking devices and I lead him toward the small lake Gale and I found. We sit down, take off our shoes and role up our pant legs, then stick our feet in the cool water. I lean my head on his shoulder. I see him smile. We just sit there in comfortable silence for about five minutes. Just looking at the forest and the lake and listing to the birds. Enjoying one an others company. There are lots of Mockingjay's flying around I notice.

"What do you think we'd be doing right now if we were home?" Peeta ask, breaking the silence.

" I don't know," I say. " If our old peacekeepers were back, I'd probably be hunting."

He nods. "I'd probably be backing cheese buns."

I smile. He knows I love those. "You know what you'd be baking?"

"Yes. Because I know they are your favorite. " I can hear the smile in his voice.

"That they are." I respond.

"I bet I can guess what Haymitch would be doing." He says.

We both say, "Drinking." simultaneously and laugh.

I hunt, Peeta bakes, Haymitch drinks. That's what we did to keep busy. To keep our minds off the horrors we have witnessed.

"How did all this happen?" I suddenly ask.

Peeta lets out a sigh. "I don't know.  Everything just seemed to spring up over night."

I nod.  "Can you believe just two years ago, we had never been in the games.  We were never threatened by the President.  We still had our homes."  I say with grief in my voice.  Two years.  That's all it took for our lives to be flipped upside down.